1) No extension for Freeport just yet

1) No extension for Freeport just yet 

2) Seven Ambassadors Attend Baliem Festival

3) APF Dili 2016 : Papua Should be Common Issue of ASEAN

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http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/09/no-extension-freeport-just-yet.html

1) No extension for Freeport just yet 

Feeding S. Sundaryani The Jakarta Post

Jakarta | Tue, August 9 2016 | 08:55 am

           

The government has yet to issue a permit extension to allow PT Freeport Indonesia to continue exporting mineral concentrate past the permit’s expiration on Monday. 

The issue of whether or not Freeport Indonesia, which is 90.64 percent owned by US-based Freeport-McMoran Inc., will be granted an extension has been closely observed, as a ban on exporting mineral extracts is set to be implemented in Jan. 2017.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s mineral and coal director general Bambang Gatot Ariyono said on Monday evening that it was still evaluating Freeport Indonesia’s proposal. Even if such an extension was granted, it would only be valid until January.

Last month, Freeport Indonesia submitted a request for a six-month extension with an export quota of 1.42 million tons, a 37.86 percent increase from the previous quota.

Since the ratification of the 2009 Mining Law, mining companies have been allowed to export raw minerals for six months at a time, based on a ministerial regulation issued in 2015.

The exports are expected to stop in January following the implementation of the ban, which the government issued in a bid to encourage the development of downstream industries in the mining sector through the construction of smelters. 

Freeport Indonesia spokesman Riza Pratama said the company was hopeful that the government would allow it to export for an additional six months. “We are hoping that the government will issue the export permit as soon as possible,” he said. 

House of Representatives Commission VII legislator Satya W. Yudha claimed that by extending the mineral concentrate export permit the government was violating existing regulations, because the Mining Law itself stipulates that the ban starts in 2015. 

The implementation of the export ban was pushed back to Jan. 11, 2017, through a ministerial regulation amid pressure from the mining industry. 

Satya, a Golkar Party politician, suggested that the government immediately issue a regulation in lieu of law to last for six months to a year, to ensure the extension complied with the Mining law and to give lawmakers time to revise the law.

“There needs to be a legitimate legal [basis for the regulation], or smelter businesses will be confused. They will want to invest; extension after extension will only create uncertainty,” he said.

Satya acknowledged that the government was in a tight spot since global commodity prices remained low. Slashing exports could jeopardize state revenues, and there is no clear schedule yet for the construction of Freeport Indonesia’s required smelter.

The export extension is not the only issue the government must tackle. Freeport Indonesia is obliged to divest 30 percent of its shares to Indonesian shareholders in the renegotiations of its operating contract, which expires in 2021.

Freeport Indonesia has already offered the government a 10.46 percent stake in the Grasberg mining site for US$1.7 billion. However, the government said the price was too high.

Satya criticized the divestment process, as Freeport Indonesia’s offer was based on the assumption that its contract would be extended to 2041, whereas the company could only propose a working contract extension in 2019.

ReforMiner Institute executive director Komaidi Notonegoro said integration in upstream and downstream sectors of the mining industry had not been realized as planned.

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HTTP://EN.TEMPO.CO/READ/NEWS/2016/08/08/199794267/SEVEN-AMBASSADORS-ATTEND-BALIEM-FESTIVAL

MONDAY, 08 AUGUST, 2016 | 21:12 WIB

2) Seven Ambassadors Attend Baliem Festival

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As many as seven Ambassadors to Indonesia attended a gathering night held by the Jayawijaya administration as a part of the 2016 Baliem Valley Cultural Festival.

Jayawijaya deputy regent Jhon Richard Banua said on Monday, August 8, 2016, in Wamena that the seven ambassadors were from Switzerland, Italy, Armenia, Hugary, Bulgaria, Mexico, and India.

"We hope that their attendance would leave a good impression for Papua, particularly the Jayawijaya Regency," Jhon said.

According to Jhon, the cost to hold the festival was Rp 9 billion (US$692,000), which was taken from the regional budget. Jhon explained that the preparation for the festival had progressed to 99 percent.

"We're calling on all people in Jayawijaya, no matter what the weather will be, to participate in the opening of the national event," Jhon added.

The Baliem Valley Festival will last from three days, August 8-10, 2016, in the Walesi District, Jayawijaya, Papua. The cultural festival is held annually in the city well-known for its cold weather.

ANTARA

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http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/apf-dili-2016-papua-should-be-common-issue-of-asean/

3) APF Dili 2016 : Papua Should be Common Issue of ASEAN

6 August 2016

Jayapura, Jubi – Problems facing civil societies in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia were the focus of the ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN People’s Forum (AFP) in Dili, Timor Leste, Co-Chair Regional Steering Committee APF Jerald Joseph said.

Joseph told Jubi that this year the APF is focusing on the challenges faced by people who work under the threats of the state by both legal or illegal circumstances to silent dissent and curtail freedom of expression, especially targeting human rights defenders.

“The vision of the ASEAN Community should translate into a vibrant civil society that isable to work in the environment that empowers them,” said Joseph.

He added the ASEAN Community also should articulate their real condition in the term of economic challenge that recently affected the human rights defenders.

“What is happening from Laos to Timor Leste must be a lesson for the ASEAN Community. This meeting is a forum for the ASEAN Civil Society to strengthen their solidarity towards each other. Problems that occurred in each countries of ASEAN must become the common issues, including the human rights issues in Papua,” he added.

Separately, Victor Mambor, a Jubi journalist who gets the opportunity to convey the current situation of human rights issues in Papua in the ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN People’s Forum 2016 held on 3 – 6 August 2016 in the Convention Center of Dili, Timor Leste said the human rights issues in Papua never become an agenda of the ASEAN civil society or governments.

“The ASEAN governments or ASEAN civil society have discussed a lot about some issues occurred in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand to Vietnam, but Papua issue is almost never been on their agenda,” said Mambor.

In fact, according to him, the human rights issue in Papua should also become a part of problems encountered by the civil society in ASEAN. Because Indonesia is the ASEAN member and Papua is still a fragment of Indonesia. ”Maybe this is the first time for Papua issue to become a main issue in the ASEAN forum,” said Mambor.

The human rights issue in Papua, he continued, is almost similar with what has happened in Laos, Cambodia and Thailand recently. That people who expressed the dissent voice to the government were arrested, prisoned and murdered. The government of these countries continues taking repressive acts that are counterproductive over the human rights enforcement that become the main issue in the ASEAN Community today.

“Geographically, Papuans might not feel like a part of ASEAN Community but Melanesian. But in the context of the human rights, it must be seen universally. So, when the ASEAN civil society talk about the human rights, they should observe towards the acts of their government against the human rights enforcement. I hope Papua issues could become a recommendation in this forum,” said Mambor.

Meanwhile Chalida Tajaroensuk, Director of People’s Empowerment Foundation Thailand admitted she didn’t know about what was happening in Papua, in the context of the rights of freedom of expression and other basic rights as well.

“I was shocked to know that almost 47 years that Papuan people have faced many violations against their human rights. I saw some photographs in the social media showing how the security personnel acted against the indigenous Papuans. In my opinion, it’s discrimination,” said Tajaroensuk.

According to her, the ASEAN civil society must strengthen their solidarity to urge the ASEAN government to have strong commitment in law and human rights enforcement. Because some governments of the ASEAN Countries are still accommodating the perpetrators of human rights violation to become the government’s, military’s and police’s officials.

“The ASEAN Community must listen more voices of voiceless people such as the customary people, youth and women. It would enrich its vision and strengthen the solidariy among the ASEAN civil society,” she said. (Xisto Magno/rom)